Life in Tanzania

Swahili: no worries = “hakuna matata”

Moshi, Tanzania – view of Mount Kilimanjaro from our House

Swahili: beautiful = “nzuri sana”

ISM is on 50 acres with cafeteria, pool, stables and dormitories. There are K-12 students from 33 countries; 40%

Tanzanian students, mostly live on campus.

Swahili: school= “shule”

Our western-style farmhouse in “Shantytown” neighborhood of Moshi (3 blocks from school) on 2 acres with chickens and

goats.

Swahili: house = “nyumbani”

“Mama Pendo” and the “jogoo”

Sam & Tate at “sukoni” buying “kuku”

Cars drive on the other side of the road than the U.S. Most Tanzanians don’t own a car or have a

driver’s license.

Swahili: Car = “Gari”, Motorcycle = “Piki Piki”

Here is one of the main streets of Moshi. This is a herd of cows walking down the street. This would be like Middlefield Road in Menlo Park having cows on it!

Swahili: cow = “ng’ombe”

Women Walk up to 5 Miles to Town Carrying Trays of 80-100 Bananas on their heads. They pick the bananas from trees in their Villages and sell them for money to

buy food. Most Tanzanians earn about $2 a day.

Swahili: Banana = “ndizi”, food = “chakula”

Moshi does not have a shopping mall. There are indoor shops and a market outdoors where Tanzanians buy everything they need. The clothes sold in the market come from

the US and Europe in big bags and are used. Tuesdays and Saturdays are market day.

Swahili: market = “sukoni”, Tuesday = “Jumanne”

Tanzanians wash all the shirts, pants, shorts and shoes that come from the US and sell them for $0.50 to $2 each. Sometimes boys

wear girls’ shoes and girls wear boys’ shoes.

Swahili: wash = “kuosha”

Outside markets do not have refrigerators or shopping carts. There are no labels or prices, everything is bought by bargaining

in Swahili. Chickens cost $7 each, and most people have chickens.

Swahili: chicken = “kuku”

This is the skyline of Moshi, the air is smoggy because it is full of smoke. “Moshi” means smoke in Swahili.

The air is smoky because Tanzanians burn their trash and cook using wood. There are no garbage trucks or recycling trucks that drive and

pick up trash from houses. So people get rid of their trash by burning it.

Swahili: trash = “taka taka”

In our house, we put our trash in tall rice sacks, and when they are full, we take it to a dump a few miles away in a wheel barrow.

Swahili: Goodbye trash = “Kwaheri taka taka”

Critters found inside Tanzanian houses….

Many Tanzanians who live outside of cities do not have electricity at home – so no refrigerator, stove, washing machine, or lights. Many Tanzanians do not have Wifi, computers, TVs or video games, but they do have cell phones.

The electricity in our house is 50 years old, and we have 3-10 power outages per day. Our internet works sometimes.

Swahili: refrigerator = “frigi”

Some Schools don’t have electricity or water. This is a soccer field at a school in Moshi. Most soccer fields do not have grass. Students all

wear uniforms to school. Public school costs $100-200 per year.

Swahili: school = “schule”, and soccer = “empira”

Schools have 45-80 students in a class. Desks and books are shared. Students take a big test every year to move up a grade. Most

Tanzanians do not pass the test to move beyond 6th grade.

Swahili: moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano, sita…

Since public schools often don’t have electricity, then no lights, heat, or movies in class…Teachers are very respected. Students

learn Swahili and English in school.

Swahili: teacher = Mwalimu